Epilogue: No Take Backs
by God of Fire
Summary: You guys asked for a sequel, and so here it is. Please read and review No Take Backs first, though.


NO TAKE BACKS EPILOGUE  
  
disclaimer: these belong to jk rowling.  
  
a/n: this story can stand alone, but it'd be better if you read it AFTER having read no take backs. it would be so kind of you to review them both. and don't get confused, this story just skips through the years every little block.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
He stood on the beach watching the waves crash against the shore at sunset. The way the light reflected off of the water was like a thousand diamonds sparkling on the horizon. The wind blew in his face making his hair fly around him. He took in a deep breath, smelling the salty ocean air.  
  
He felt a warm pair of arms go around him and he heard the sound of a child laughing not too far away. The arms around him tightened and he put his hands atop them protectively.  
  
"The shore is beautiful this time of year," she said with her cheek against his shoulder.  
  
"Not half as beautiful as you," he replied in kind. He turned around in the arms encircling him until he could see the face of the owner they belonged to. He smiled at her and leaned down to steal a quick kiss.  
  
"I really like this place, Harry," Hermione said as she surveyed the area. "It's so beautiful."  
  
"I knew you'd like it. And you see that beach house over there?" He pointed at a large house with an array of windows that were catching the last of the sunlight as the rays were quickly dropping behind the water. She nodded at it and looked back up at him to continue. "It's yours. I bought it a week ago."  
  
Hermione gasped at this news and jumped in delight. She reached up and kissed Harry, thanking him for the gift and commenting on how much she loved it, even though she had only seen it from the distance. The sight of her smiling made him smile. She had always been contagious in that way.  
  
The sound of giggling from a few feet down made Harry look at his daughter. He reached down and picked her up in his arms. Their daughter was two now. She had dark chocolate colored hair and bright green eyes. Her skin was pale and she had a few freckles that covered her nose and cheeks. Overall she looked like her father more than her mother, but Hermione was thankful for this, even though Harry really wasn't. She pointed at the house and looked at him. Harry smiled and kissed her nose. She giggled and burried her face in his neck for a few seconds.  
  
"How about we go and see the house? I've already had it equipped with the essentials and furniture and stuff. No more apartment in London for us. Just life on the beach in Spain."  
  
Hermione took his hand and the three walked back to the jeep that Harry had bought. They climbed inside and Harry drove them the few hundred yards to the house. He parked in the circle drive in front of it and turned off the engine. Hermione was the first to climb out. She ran up the steps to the front porch, almost tripping on the first one since it was completely dark outside. Harry laughed and carried the child with him as they came to the front door. He unlocked it and they walked inside.  
  
Harry reached over and flipped a series of switches on, illuminating the house in light. On the inside it was even more beautiful than the out. Hermione made this known.  
  
"It has seven bedrooms," Harry yelled as Hermione went running into the living room. she flopped down heavily on the couch as soon as she saw it. And after letting the soft feel envelope her, she told him how much she liked the colors. The entire room was in Gryffindor colors.  
  
"I like this color scheme," Hermione said as she got up. "It reminds me of the Tower."  
  
"That was the idea," Harry said as Hermione began to walk through the rest of the house. "It has seven bedrooms, as I said before, three and a half baths, one very spacious kitchen, a library that I have filled with more books than they have at Flourish and Blotts, and a deck out back."  
  
"Didn't this cost a fortune?"  
  
"Certainly not -my- fortune. It didn't make a dent."  
  
"Well I guess that's good to hear," Hermione said as she found the door that lead into the library. She gasped when she saw that Harry wasn't kidding when he said that there were more books than at Flourish and Blotts. There were thousands upon thousands. "I love it," she breathed.  
  
"That's good to hear. But you'll love this even more," Harry said as he grabbed her wrist and drug her out of the room. He took her down the hallway and into the last door on the left.  
  
This was their bedroom. A large room with a bay window and the same maroon and gold coloring as the living room had. There was a large mahogany bed with a thick maroon comforter that was turned down to reveal gold colored silk sheets beneath it. Hermione found this the most appealing, so she went and jumped in the middle of the bed, stretching out on top of it. Harry walked over and let there daughter crawl on top. She seemed very approving of it as well.  
  
There was also a large desk flanking one wall and it had an assortment of different papers and parchment and writing quills with ink. There were also two large, comfy chairs in the corner by a small table. There was also a bookshelf and a personal bathroom. On the wall across from the bed was a large picture in a magnificent golden frame. It was a picture that had been taken the day of their wedding over the Christmas Holiday five months before.  
  
They had decided to get married after leaving Hogwarts for the sake of the child, and for the sake of their love. It had been a fairly small wedding with only about fifty people in attendance. Mostly Hogwarts friends and family of Hermione's. They had taken special precautions to not let any magic be involved in the ceremony since there were at least twenty muggles there that had no idea Hermione, their own flesh and blood, was a witch. It had still been a joyous occasion for everyone.  
  
Hermioine laid on the bed and thought about her last year at Hogwarts. Much to her surprise, when people from all of the houses found out about the baby, they weren't surprised, and they weren't upset. They were very supportive, and Salem was even brought out for them to see. Her parents had cooed over her that summer and Harry had found an apartment not far from her parents' house for them to live in. That was until he had found this place.  
  
Hermione got up off of the bed and picked up her daughter, putting her on the floor. She ran up to Harry on shaky toddler legs and reached up for him to pick her up. He did as she wished and they left the room to walk across the hall to another room. The nursery.  
  
Harry put the child down and she immediately ran to the stack of toys that Harry had bought for her. She pulled out a large stuffed dragon and held it close. Hermione walked around and surveyed the room. It was beautiful. Decorated in the child's favorite colors of green and sky blue. On the wall next to the window was her birth announcement. It read:  
  
Salem MacKenzie Potter  
  
Born December 25 , 2002  
  
To the parents of  
  
Hermione Granger and Harry Potter  
  
This was all written on elaborate paper with gold letters that shined and a maroon border whose meaning was not overlooked by the wizards and witches it was sent to, but by the muggles that saw it. Hermione looked back to see that Harry had seated himself in the floor with Salem and was playing with her.  
  
Hermione smiled brightly and watched the two loves of her life as they bonded together. Never would she have imagined in her first year that things would have come to this point. If anyone would have told her this, she would have laughed at them. But now that she had all of this at her fingertips, she was the happiest witch in the world.  
  
Harry looked up and saw her staring at them. He stood and walked over to her, wrapping her up in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and let a few tears slip from her eyes. Harry felt the mosture penetrate his shirt and he pulled back from her.  
  
"What is it, Mione?" he asked softly.  
  
"I'm just so damn happy," she said, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.  
  
"It's good to hear."  
  
"You make me this way," she said.  
  
"And without you I'd be nothing."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
The steps that he took in the halls of the hospital echoed loudly but they were nothing more than a dull sound forgotten in his ears. He would have run if they would have let him, but they probably already thought he was crazy. He had been on an assignment for his job as an auror and it had brought him to Italy. He'd been contacted and had come to London straight away. After getting back to London he had gone straight to the muggle hospital still wearing his robes.  
  
He spotted a waiting room and looked inside to see just who he was looking for. His mother, Michelle. She saw him and walked up, embracing him in a tight hug. He returned this affection with at least ten other sets of eyes on him.  
  
"What is she doing here?" Harry asked.  
  
"We didn't have the time to get her to any wizard hospital. And even if we did, I wouldn't have known how to get there," Michelle said.  
  
"Couldn't she have told you?"  
  
"She wasn't exactly doing her best bit of thinking."  
  
"Oh, well, just take me to her."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Michelle grabbed Harry's wrist and led him out of the waiting room and down the hall to a door marked 1013. She nodded and walked back the way she had come, leaving him to feign for himself. He let out a heavy breath and opened the door.  
  
Walking in he saw Hermione sitting up in bed, looking out the window. She didn't make any move to turn her head since she hadn't heard him come in. But with the first step he took she turned and smiled brightly.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," he said apologetically as he sat in a chair by the bed.  
  
"It's alright. I suppose you want to see, don't you?" Hermione said playfully. "It's not much to look at. I mean, we used to have one..."  
  
Harry laughed and waited while she called on the nurse. A few minutes later the nurse entered and brought in a small bundle wrapped in blue cloth. She handed this to Hermione and Harry stood up so he could peer over and see the face of his son.  
  
This time the child did not have dark hair but instead light brown and standard blue eyes that most children came with. The baby only looked up once, though. And then he fell back asleep.  
  
Hermione handed him the baby and let him hold it.  
  
"What shall we call him, Harry?"  
  
"Gavin. I like that name."  
  
Hermione looked over at her son who was still fast asleep. She smiled. "The name fits," she said happily.  
  
"And he'll fit perfect in our little family. Speaking of which, where is Salem?"  
  
"Mum left her with the nanny when we left for the hospital. You should probably call and tell her what's going on. I'm sure that a seven year old would probably be pretty alarmed with all of this happening."  
  
"You make a good point. I'll get onto that soon enough."  
  
Harry reached a hand up and touched his son's forehead. The boy opened his eyes and looked up at his father, locking eyes. Harry gazed down intently at Gavin. Then a realization hit him.  
  
"He has Dumbledore's eyes. The same twinkle I mean," Harry said thoughtfully.  
  
"I saw that too. It's such a shame Dumbledore isn't with us anymore."  
  
"Maybe this is his way of watching over us."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
It was a beautiful day in Laste August. The day before Harry's birthday and he was glowing with joy from every pore of his body. Not because he was turning anothe year older, but because his daughter had gotten her acceptance letter from Hogwarts that morning. He was even happier than she, and he showed it.  
  
Harry was of course the first one to race into the Leaky Cauldron that afternoon with Salem running and shouting after him, her black hair blazing in the sunlight while Hermione held onto the grubby hand of a small, brown- haired four year old. When everyone was in the doors, Harry was greeted by everyone, people he didn't know, and some that he did. The bar keep offered him a drink, but he surpassed it and drug his family out back to the empty courtyard and the entrance to Diagon Alley.  
  
They tapped the right bricks and Gavin clapped his hands in delight at the sight of the archway forming. They all four walked through and into the hustle of the busy street as parents and children moved around, getting their things for the new school year.  
  
Salem already had robes. Harry had insisted that she get hers early, even before she got her letter, and so that was taken care of. They made it to Flourish and Blotts to get her books first thing, and in there they ran into Ginny Weasley.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry asked incredulously. The youngest Weasley sibling turned around and jumped at the sight of him. She then smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
"Oh, Harry! I haven't seen you in ages!"  
  
"It has been quite a long time. What on earth are you doing here?" Harry asked.  
  
"Just catching up on some good reading while my worse half is getting his new robes fit," she said with a smile gracing her lips.  
  
"Your worse half?" A tall, blonde haired, steel grey-eyed man came up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well I was hoping I'd be more to you than that."  
  
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione said. It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter I see. But who are these two?" Draco said as he knelt down to be more at an eye-level with the two children. He grabbed Slaem's hand and kissed the back of it briefly, turning her face bright red. "And who might this lovely young lady be?"  
  
"Oh, you know who she is," Harry said.  
  
"It can't be Salem, can it?" Salem nodded incessantly. Draco smiled and then turned his attention to the toddler who had a firm grasp around his mother's legs. "What about this one? I haven't seen him before."  
  
Hermione leaned down and hoisted Gavin up onto her waist. Draco stood up.  
  
"This one is Gavin. Our latest addition."  
  
"He has the looks of his mother," Draco said charmingly.  
  
"Oh, quit with the whole charm act, you git," Ginny said as she slapped his shoulder. "I'm terribly sorry, but we've still got some shopping to do before going home."  
  
"Oh, it's no bother. We've still got to buy a cauldron and quills and all of that good stuff," Hermione replied.  
  
"Well, it was good seeing you again," Ginny said as she and Draco walked off.  
  
The afternoon hours passed by and they found themselves a very tired group with a toddler passed out on his father's shoulder. There was one last stop to go and they were quick to get there. The Wand Shop.  
  
They stepped inside and heard a small bell ring somewhere in the back. the smae old man that had been there when Harry had gotten his first wand was still working and he hadn't aged very much. He walked up and surveyed Harry's face.  
  
"Back again, I see. A daughter to find a wand for?" His gaze shifted down to Salem who was playing nervously with her fingers. "Well hold out your wand arm, then."  
  
Salem held out her left arm and Mr. Ollivander let the magical tape measure her while he searched for a box with a wand. He found one and came out, pocketing the tape and handing her the wand.  
  
"Yew, ten inches, dragon heartstring. Give it a wave." Salem waved the wand and nothing happened. He took the wand back and prodeuced another one. "Chestwood, seven and three quarters inches. Phoenix feather." She waved it and nothing happened. After their tenth try he handed her another wand. "Mahogany, eight inches. Unicorn hair." She waved it and brilliant sparks flew from the tip.  
  
Harry smiled brightly. His daughter was growing up.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Harry and Hermione sat in their study going over papers from the last case that Harry had finished. It was the last case he would ever do, for he was giving up his job as auror. This made Hermione happy becaue she could spend all of her time with him. Just as they were finishing up, Gavin, now a man of 22, came rushing in the office and stood panting.  
  
"Gavin," Harry said pleased. "What are you doing here? And why are you panting?"  
  
"I...ran all the....way from the Leaky Cauldron."  
  
"You ran? That's a half mile away. You really should learn how to apparate."  
  
Gavin waved his hand in front of his face and shushed his parents from speaking. They looked at him and waited from him to begin explaining.  
  
"Salem's....Salem's in labor," he spat out through heavy breaths. His lungs were on fire.  
  
"Already?!" Harry asked in alarm.  
  
"She's almost two weeks early!" Hermione said.  
  
Gavin nodded and Harry and Hermione quickly ran upstairs and got dressed. They came back down minutes later and pulled Gavin out to the car with them. They hopped in and pulled out onto the street where Harry stopped. He didn't know where he was going.  
  
"Where did that muggle of hers take her?" Hermione asked when she realized the dillemma. Harry and Hermione had never liked Salem's husband Taylor very much. It wasn't that he was a muggle, but there was jsut something about him they didn't like.  
  
Gavin told them and they set off. Twenty minutes later they were there and running inside.  
  
A crowd of people that could only be determined as Taylor's family were standing around when they saw Gavin, Hermione, and Harry come walking down the hall. The other family sneered and turned their heads. They had never liked each other much.  
  
"She's in there," one of the women at the edge of the group reported. Harry nodded and walked in the room. Salem was sitting up in bed with a small pink bundle in her arms. Taylor sat up and stiffened at the sight of Salem's family. Then he stood and nodded at them before walking out.  
  
"He knows," Salem said groggily.  
  
"Know's what?" Harry asked.  
  
"About the wizard world. About me and all of you. I told him."  
  
"How did he take it?" Gavin asked.  
  
"I really don't know."  
  
Hermione came walking over and peered down at the baby. She had a pink face and no hair. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep. Hermione smled at this and looked up into her daughter's shining blue eyes.  
  
"He looks just like his father, I know," Salem said unhappily. "But some things you just can't change."  
  
"Do you think she'll be magical?" Harry asked hopefully.  
  
"I hope. But I'll love her even if she isn't."  
  
The three looked up to see Taylor peeking his head back in the door. He looked almost frightened to see that his in-laws were still there. Harry took this as the cue to leave and he made everyone say their goodbyes before walking out the door, making sure to scare Taylor as they left.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
The cold rain dripped hard on the wizard world the November that The-Boy- Who-Lived and the love of his life died. A grey cloud had descended upon everyone at the loss of such a great asset to them. It wasn't that they were without a protector now, no, Salem and Gavin had much of their father's power. But Harry and Hermione were loved so much that it was hard to bear.  
  
After their parents' death, Salem and Gavin inherited the fortune that Harry and Hermione had left them. They used most of it to fund the fight against the Dark Arts and those who practiced them. What was left over was kept in the bank for their family to have. After all, between the the two of them they had nearly twenty grandchildren.  
  
The Potter name was held very strong through a growing bloodline of wizards and witches. It was a name reguarded with more true dignity than Draco Malfoy could ever have wished to show when he was young. And this legacy remained true throughout the ages all because of a small black haired boy with one lightning scar, Harry Potter, and the woman that he loved so very much, Hermione Granger.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END STORY  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: take that you guys. i know it's prolly not what you were expecting, but i just wanted to get this thing over with so i could move on. i have too many fics to be working on right now. i just want to say hello to all my ppl that i have ongoing onine chat with and i want to say that prgirl (viv(, this one was for you. REVIEW! 


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